Thinking Green

Over the past few months, I have decided to (again) try to become more environmentally aware. In college and when I lived in Wisconsin, I was surrounded by more “environmentally friendly” people; however, here in Alabama, that kind of attitude is hard to come by (at least in my experience). For instance, recycling is not required in Alabama, as it is in Wisconsin, and I would say that the majority of people here do not recycle. I could not believe that when I first moved here. Recycling has been mandatory in Wisconsin for at least 20 years. In Huntsville, they do have curb-side recycling for some items, but if you live in an apartment or want to recycle things like glass, you have to bring it to the recycling center yourself. For most people, I think, that is way too inconvenient (whew, that is a hard word to spell!). Huntsville does have an interesting waste program. All garbage is considered to be household waste, including bathroom waste, food and other kitchen waste, paper, and cardboard) is incinerated. The fumes are cleaned (? Not sure how this is done), and the heat or energy from the incineration is used to heat the nearby Redstone Arsenal. Any metals left in the ash are removed and the ash is then landfilled. This is an interesting approach, at the least, and it makes me feel a little better about throwing all that paper and cardboard into the trash.

The major portion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is associated with energy used to heat and/or cool buildings. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have a whole lot of control over this area. The apartment I live in is a terrible energy – sucker. It is not insulated at all, as far as I can tell, and very drafty. The windows are ancient, the doors have gaps at the bottom, the appliances are ancient and definitely don’t have an energy star on them… My utility company does off a green option – you can change all or a portion of your energy to come from renewable resources – solar, wind, or methane gas (collected from a waste water treatment plant) power. The green power is sold in blocks and each block adds an additional $4 to your monthly bill, according the TVA, one block is about 12% of an average household’s monthly energy use. I have not done this because I can barely afford to pay my utility bill the way it is, I just can’t afford to pay any more.

My other downfall is that I drive practically EVERYWHERE. There really is no other option in Huntsville. It is not a walking town. It is not a biking town. There is a grocery store close enough to my house to walk, although I usually pick things up there on my way to somewhere else. The only place I ever walk is to the coffee shop where Bill & I go to hang out and where my knitting group meets. Otherwise, its all driving for me.

So, this has all got me thinking about what I have already done to ‘green up’ my life and what more I can do.

What I have already done:

• Changed all my light bulbs to compact flourescent light bulbs (CFL)
• I don’t use paper napkins and very rarely use paper towels
• I wash everything in cold water, don't wash clothes until they are actually dirty, and use the appropriate water level for the amount of clothing I am washing
• I don’t use a dishwasher (this is a tricky one – hand washing dishes saves on electricity/energy, but depending on how you wash your dishes, the dishwasher can save on water. If you wash your dishes with the 2-sink, one for washing, one for rinsing method, you should use about the same amount of water. Plus, most people I know (including the former me) practically hand wash the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, so I think this voids everything I already said.)
• I only use recycled paper, always print on both sides of the paper, and reuse any paper that is only printed on one side. I have gotten into the habit of stapling these papers together to use as a notebook, instead of buying a notebook. I also only print things that I really need to print.
• I use only natural cleaning products (OK, the one exception was when I moved in to this apartment, the bathtub was absolutely disgusting and I bought some nasty chemicals to clean it with)
• I recycle everything I can
• I eat meat no more than three times per week
• I try to buy food (rice, pasta, flour, sugar, dog bones, coffee, tea, cereal, etc) in bulk when I can, to reduce packaging
• I turn off my computer when I’m not using it (instead of hibernating), turn off the TV when I’m not watching it, and unplug appliances when I’m not using them and when I am gone for long periods
• I only use the AC in the room that I am in, instead of cooling the whole apartment
• I installed a water saver showerhead
• I put a brick in my toilet tank to reduce its water use
• I use cached rain water to water my plants
• The majority of stuff I buy is second hand: clothes, kitchen stuff, furniture, books, sheets, etc.
• Reuse as much stuff as I can (bread bags, food containers, tin foil, glass jars, etc)
• I don’t drink bottled water. I am perfectly capable for bottling my own water. I have always thought bottled water was ridiculous since I have access to have perfectly good tap water for a lot less money, but this issue has been getting a lot of hype lately. Both Dasani and Aquafina bottled water is just tap water put in a bottle. So consumers are simply paying for a plastic bottle, and convenience, I guess.
• All my bills are electronic, no paper bills
• I drink only organic, free trade, shade-grown coffee ( Yeah! for Aroma's)
• Use rechargable batteries when possible
• I take a mug with me to work so I don't use a styrfoam cup every day
• Always take the stairs and never the elevator
• I don't got to the gym, I only exercise outdoors
  
  New stuff I’m working on/trying out:
  
• Air drying clothes instead of using the dryer
• Eliminating plastic bags – bringing cloth bags when shopping (I use to be so good at this – I don’t know what happened!)
• Reducing my use of plastic (mainly for health reasons – read this to learn about plastic leaching) - using glass containers for food storage instead of plastic. An interesting note – Nalgene bottles are made from #7 (other) plastic, which is listed under the ‘avoid’ column, it can leach a chemical that can mimic animal hormones. ick. So if you do use a Nalgene (I do), don’t ever put hot liquids in it, put it in the microwave, or leave it out in direct sunlight (I’m guilty of 2 out of those 3 – oops). Check out this cool alternative to Nalgene bottles. I like the idea that they are stainless steel, so you can put flavored drinks in them without the flavors being absorbed by the plastic. Also, I am interested in finding out what kind of plastic those camelbacks are made from because I always think they taste like plastic – a bad sign when it comes to leaching. I don't ever use them b/c I think they are disgusting, so if you have one see if it has a number on it & check it out!
• Not buying things with excessive packaging
• Using organic/natural/homemade toiletries and cleaning products
• Eating locally grown, seasonal fruits and veggies (and organic when I can afford it)
  
  Things I am considering, but haven’t done yet:
  
• Composting with worms (my friend Joel has the worms, I just need to get them set up so I can start)
• Get a bike to ride to school (I am working on getting a bike from a friend at school, but it has to cool down a bit before I can think about riding to school)
• Bring food containers to restaurants for leftovers
• Reducing junk mail and planting a tree every month through GreenDimes.com
  
  
  So, I know you gals are green too, what do you do? What do you think of my list? I had to think about it a little, but a lot of the things I listed I don’t even think about anymore, or I just do them because I am cheap, not necessarily ‘to be green’. Its kind of fun to think of the ways you contribute. If you want to read more, there is tons of great information on these blogs: No Impact Man and Green as a Thistle. And I also found this interesting.